Chapter 2 - First Taste of Battle

The lilting song of sparrows graced the early morning air as the members of Clan Anarchy made their way through Salikawood. The decaying planks of the forest boardwalk creaked under the weight of their collective equipment and armour, threatening to give way altogether. Tanya lead the way, stopping now and then to consult a tattered map of the locale. Occasionally they came upon a walkway that had collapsed after unrelenting exposure to the elements, forcing them to take a detour.

It was on one of these detours when they descended from the boardwalk into a small clearing, where a dilapidated thatched hut stood. Upon their arrival, a few warriors emerged from the hut, unsheathing their weapons as they eyed the interlopers with suspicion. Rival clans were obviously unwelcome here. Devoe, who had been silently observing up till now, began to break into a cold sweat. Only recently had he been taught how to wield a sword, and knew next to nothing about live combat. Would he just get in the way of the battle, let alone aid his fellow clan mates? As various worries cascaded upon him, Tanya spoke, "To whom am I addressing this fine morning?"

A human garbed in leather armour and with a bow slung over his back stepped forward, replying tersely, "We are Clan Striker. Salikawood is our turf, and you have no business here. Pass through swiftly, and we will spare you from our blades."

Nathan let out a derisive snort. "You dare tell ussss what to do? Watch your tongue, lest I decide to ssslice it off." This incensed the opposing warriors, prompting them to brandish their weapons and cry out angrily. Tanya held out an arm, indicating Nathan to stand his ground, as he was obviously raring to have a go at their foes. She then announced, "I challenge you to an official engagement, contesting your right to this territory!"

Birds scattered from their nests at the sound of the viera's voice, launching into the bright azure sky. Devoe watched in wonder as a beam of light suddenly shone down upon the forest clearing, illuminating the ground around it. Soon after, a heavily armoured figure began to materialize from within the beam, its plate armour gleaming in the sunlight as it stepped out. With heavy boots sinking into the moist soil, the newcomer intoned authoritatively, "Engagement between Clan Striker and Clan Anarchy, in which the region known as the Salikawood shall be claimed by the victor. Today's laws forbid the use of curative spells and items."

Seeing the obvious confusion on Devoe's face, Samantha whispered, "That's a judge from Bervenia Palace. They oversee all clan engagements and prevent fatalities from occuring. They also pass down the daily laws, a set of ridiculous rules that we have to abide by, else we get thrown into gaol. I heard that it was the prince, Mewt, who thought that it would be an amusing twist to clan engagements."

"Personally, I think that Mewt is a nutcase, but that's just me." Victor cheerfully added as he pulled out a curved dagger hidden in his cloak. A wild roar erupted from Nathan as he threw himself upon the enemy, tearing a swathe through their ranks with a vicious spear. As they adjusted their formation to flank the raging bangaa, Samantha yelled to Devoe, "Come on! You're not just going to stand there, are you?"

By sheer force of will, Devoe banished all hesitation to the back of his mind, drawing his sword as he rushed to join the brutal mêlée. Samantha was already in the thick of it, ripping through armour and flesh alike with disciplined strokes of her flamberge. Her brunette tresses swayed in orchestration with her every movement, as she traded blows with a particularly unrelenting viera fencer. Samantha feinted to the left, fooling the unsuspecting fencer into a vulnerable stance, which she exploited to deal a punishing blow to her midsection. Even as her opponent fell, Samantha had already spun around to engage her next assailant.

Devoe, who had been watching from the sidelines, was brought out of his reverie by a sharp jolt of pain. The white-hot sensation shocked him with its intensity, forcing him to double over as he stifled a scream. An arrow had lodged itself in his left forearm, rendering it useless in combat. Devoe looked up to see a hunter perched upon a large boulder, who was reaching into his quiver for a second attack. Before either the hunter or the hunted had a chance to react, another arrow sailed through the air, impaling the hunter through his torso and sending him flailing headlong off his vantage point.

In both awe and gratitude, Devoe turned to catch a glimpse of his rescuer. Standing atop a sturdy tree branch, Tanya waved to him, while shouting something that was incomprehensible from such a distance. Straining to hear her, Devoe caught a fragment of speech, "…behind you!"

Bringing his sword to bear, Devoe spun around, clashing violently with a diminutive, yet feisty moogle knight, who then unleashed a furious assault. He was forced to use his weapon to fend off a number of otherwise fatal strikes, which proved difficult with only one hand. While watching for an opening in the moogle's defence, Devoe struggled to keep up with his swift footwork, inadvertently giving ground to the enemy. Before he knew it, he was trapped against the wall of the hut, unable to retreat any further. The moogle let out a triumphant cry as he thrust its blade forward, hoping to skewer the unfortunate rookie.

With some skill and no insignificant portion of pure luck, Devoe managed to dodge the attack intended to finish him off. The moogle's eyes widened in astonishment as the blade buried itself deep into the wooden wall, all the way up to the hilt. In its vain attempt to dislodge his only means of defence, the moogle had little chance to avoid Devoe's prompt counterattack. In moments it was over - Devoe had struck down the petite knight, and almost felt guilty for him. His aching sword arm was a harsh reminder that the small heap that lay at his feet was not to be underestimated. His other arm provided an even more severe reminder - that he ought not be standing around as target practice.

While Devoe sought out another opponent, Victor was skulking among a copse of trees that bordered the clearing. He had picked out a particularly troublesome black mage who had been hurling spell after spell at Nathan, who was preoccupied in a skirmish with another bangaa. The unsuspecting mage was in the midst of an incantation when a dagger slipped into his back, courtesy of a smug-faced Victor who wasted no time in looting the fallen mage's belongings. Satisfied with his new acquisitions, he retrieved his dagger before slipping back unnoticed into the foliage.

Samantha, Devoe and Nathan had formed a circle around the last remaining member of Clan Striker, weapons held at the ready. Their last obstacle to victory existed in the form of a stoic bangaa defender, whose tenacity was no less for the lack of allies. "If I'm going down, why don't I take down sssome of you with me, hm?" he hissed vehemently, undaunted in the face of certain doom. A stalemate was reached, neither side willing to make the first move as they eyed each other furtively.

With the sun almost at its apex, the sweltering heat was suddenly starkly apparent. Devoe felt sweat droplets tickling the base of his neck as they trickled downwards. Unable to stand the tension much longer, he let out a somewhat feeble cry as he charged forward. In one fluid motion, the bangaa swung round to intercept him, and as a mailed gauntlet shot out, Devoe's world went black.